5 Things To Know About Ministry

 

Are You Called To Ministry?

A lot of people claim they are called to ministry. After all, they received a word, a dream, or a feeling in their heart. Such an event permanently changes the course of our life. But there are a lot of things a person needs to understand before answering the call into ministry. We decided to give you 5 things to know about ministry before you start your international ministry.

 

No one is more righteous than the other

Let’s get it straight – being called into ministry is a powerful moment. Some of us just have that calling in our life. We don’t find satisfaction in the status quo of a quiet job and relaxed family life. We feel the burden of somehow, someway sharing the gospel and discipling others into a life of Christ.

 

And please, do not take this as an insult to those who would rather just live a quiet life. God created each of us to handle a certain purpose within our sphere. Some are called to different vectors of the world. Others are called to ministry. What matters the most is whether you answered the call from God or not.

 

What if you feel called into ministry?

Let’s say you truly do feel called into this thing we call ministry. Then great! Welcome to the club that boasts a massive lineage of influential people from across the span of time. You have a calling on your life that will look unique from every other person on earth. Your greatest blessing will show up when you see other people transformed through the obedience you have to the Lord. That means: you do what you’re asked, and God does a work in the person.

 

However, there are a lot of things you need to know. We picked 5 because we had to stop somewhere. We could list item after item, but you would get bored and we’d suffer from carpel tunnel. But, 5 items will at least give you a good start. So, here it is:

 

5 Things to Know About Ministry:

 

1) It’s Not About You

You already knew ministry does not revolve around you. Unfortunately, we all quickly forget the truth. Ministry means nothing without Christ. While many people start out meaning well by getting involved with ministry, the cares of the world quickly take over. These things show up in how we care about numbers, dollars, and all the tell-tale marketing signals.

 

When you keep Christ close to your heart and remove yourself from the equation, you focus less on yourself and more on God’s will. Notice, that I did not mention “focus more on the other person.” When you keep God as your true purpose, then you will love His people. You will love those whom He sends you to minister to. But don’t put the cart before the horse.

 

Ministry will continue with you or without you. No person sits on the throne of irreplaceable. God uses those who obey. So love and obey Him. When you do, you will love your neighbors with a whole different level of love.

 

When we attempt it on our power and strength, we lose our drive or patience and suddenly the person across from us is vulnerable. Sustain your strength and ministry by serving the Lord. Make Him your entire focus. Then you will go the distance.

 

2) DO NOT RUSH

If I had a nickel for every Young Adult who came to me saying they felt called to ministry...I’d retire and finally have some peace.

 

You may feel called. You may have it completely on your heart. You may have received a word about how God desires to send you to the world! Good. But don’t you DARE quit your job, sell your possessions, and run off to Africa. You BETTER have been explicitly told by the Lord to do those things. Otherwise, you’re just being foolish.

 

We all need a training period to build the skills, experience, and know-how to handle the rigors of ministry. You put yourself and others in a dangerous position spiritually if you run onto the battlefield with no training. You wouldn’t run off to a warzone without knowing how to shoot a gun and cover yourself properly. So why do we believe ministry is any different?

 

Get trained up. Spend time under others who are seasoned and can watch out for your soul. A calling of God does not necessarily mean “in this season” but means “at some point in time, you will be called up to the big time.” What better way to be prepared than to get discipled under someone who has been there? They will gladly teach you what to know about ministry. They will also invest in you because they’ve been called by God to minister to you and they love Him too much to ignore the call. See how that works?

 

3) You will mess up

When you make a mistake or stumble, the voice will ring in your head. It’ll say, “You screwed up. How can you think you’re called? This disqualifies you.”

 

The voice of the enemy accuses. After all, he is called the accuser. Whether it is your twisted flesh, a demon, or the enemy himself, that voice loves to pop up when you screw up. We all make mistakes and need to remember that. Just because you messed something up does not mean you are suddenly disqualified from being in ministry.

 

As you grow and mature in ministry, the mistakes and stumbles change shape. Problems still crop up and they often appear from where we least expect them to.

 

Remember that Christ washed the feet of His disciples. Not so we could make an out-of-touch commercial for the Super Bowl 2000+ years later, but to remind us that the world is spiritually dirty. Sometimes, we step in the mud. Not because we want to but because we’re all human.

 

This is not a license to sin. That grace He gives us provides an opportunity to get cleansed. Not play in the mud. If you want to keep getting dirty, then the Lord WILL pull your ministry from you. He will allow it all to come out and let you find repentance the hard way.

 

So don’t find it the hard way. When you stumble, immediately repent and change your ways.

 

4)Watch the backdoor

The more mature you get, the more the enemy will attempt to knock you off. The problem is that we make it easy for him. When we hyper-focus on a single issue, sin, or purpose, we lose sight of our backside. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched it in the church world.

 

Leader gets popular. Leader gets sure of himself. Exposure of a sin or event happens. Leader falls.

 

Want to know where it went wrong? Pride.

 

Success in ministry drives people to places of pride and arrogance they never imagined for themselves. Many times it's couched in the idea that they’ve defeated sin and no longer need to concern themselves with being on-guard.

 

Or, they figured that they could get away with it without being exposed. They believe the sin is small, so no one (even God) would expose it.

 

Do not get swept up in the idea that you are above the righteousness of God. He cares more about refining you than about your reputation. Humble yourself and understand that this life is your time of growth and refinement. A good follower of Christ humbly understands that they continually need the grace, mercy, justice, and love of the Lord.

 

Especially when they’re in ministry.

 

5)Rely on Him

Faith matters in the world of ministry. Everything you do rests in the faith that God is doing something. If you don’t trust that He has it all in His hands, then you’ll always struggle with expectations.

 

We set our expectations on how we think things should be. The reality is that God’s purpose may not look anything like your flesh wants it to.

 

Maybe He intends for you to quietly minister to the forgotten. That means that He may never put you in front of a big crowd or massive online following. Can you be okay with that? Can you handle not being the center of attention if that’s what God requires of you?

 

Faith informs our every decision AND our every belief. (At least when we walk in perfect faith.) Getting our eyes off of God strips us of faith in Him and places it in our own power. We fall because we forget how to lean not on our understanding. Instead, we put our hearts on an outcome and believe that outcome will prove our faith.

 

The outcomes mean nothing to our faith. Jeremiah did ministry for 40 years without a convert. Imagine the faith and reliance that requires!

 

So don’t get trapped in proving faith through expectations. Have complete faith no matter what and let God determine where He’s going to bring you.

 

Things to know about ministry

A lifetime of wisdom and knowledge exists regarding ministry. But you should keep these in mind when you get the calling. God stands faithful and true to what He’s put on our hearts. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot of time and learning to go through to become carriers of the gospel. He intended those He’s called to do great things.

 

We just have to be willing and faithful servants.

 

Now get to it!